Do at-home teeth straightening kits work? You’ve seen them advertised relentlessly online, and you’re tired of looking at your crooked teeth in the mirror. Could an at-home teeth straightening kit be the solution to fixing your gapped or overcrowded teeth?
In this review, we’ll unpack the offering from four leading names in at-home teeth alignment. We’ll also make out recommendations on the best system to suit your needs and your budget.
What Are At-Home Teeth Straightening Kits?
At-home Teeth straightening involves the use of clear plastic aligners to correct your smile. You’ll get anywhere from four to 26-aligners for your treatment, with each aligner designed to shift your teeth into a new position. By the time you finish all the aligners, you have a straight smile.
Most at-home aligner systems require you to take an impression of your teeth and send it to the company for review. If you choose Smile Direct Club or Candid for your treatment, you can visit the Smile Shop or Candid Studio locations for a free scan.
At-home systems don’t require you to visit the orthodontist’s office. You complete your treatment remotely, sticking to a custom plan created by a dental team or an orthodontist.
Let’s look at some of the leading brands in at-home teeth straightening.
What are the Leading Brands in At-Home Teeth Straightening?
Invisalign
Invisalign is the world-leader in teeth straightening systems. This system requires fitment and monitoring by a qualified orthodontist.
The aftercare with this system is the best you get, but you’ll pay for it. Invisalign systems can cost anywhere from $3,500 to $8,000 or more, depending on the work involved with straightening your teeth.
Candid
Candid is a premium at-home teeth straightening kit. Candid charges $2,400 for its treatment, but you have the option of financing it for $399 down and 24-monthly payments of $99. The difference with Candid, and why it’s the most expensive DIY system, is that the company only works with qualified orthodontists.
Other companies like Smile Direct Club and Byte rely on a team of orthodontists and dentists. However, with Candid, you exclusively have orthodontists working on your treatment. The company offers you its unique scanning tool included with your purchase.
You’ll use the scanner every time you complete a checkup with your orthodontist. Follow the on-screen prompts to take an accurate scan of your teeth to show your doctor. Candid offers you the same advanced orthodontic care as Invisalign, at a third of the price.
Smile Direct Club
SmileDirectClub is the leader in at-home teeth aligner systems. The company offers you options for day and night systems, with the nighttime option adding more aligners to your treatment. The daytime system costs you $1,950, and you have the option of financing your treatment. Financing involves you paying $250 down, with 24-monthly payments of $89.
Smile Direct Club has the best track record of any at-home teeth straightening kit. With more than 1-million smiles corrected, SDC is a trusted name in the industry. However, the treatment is more expensive than other options like Byte and Alignerco, and you don’t get a similar “HyperByte” device included.
Smile Direct Club complements your straight teeth by issuing you with free teeth whitening for your new smile, included with your purchase.
Byte
Byte is a leader in at-home teeth straightening. The company has more than 1,900 positive testimonials on Google Reviews, which is great considering they’ve only been selling aligners since early 2019. Byte offers you daytime and nighttime systems to suit your needs.
The daytime system costs $1,895, and you can finance it for $349 down and 29-monthly payments of $83. If you want to go with the nighttime system, you’ll pay slightly more, with a cash price of $2,295. If you want to finance your Byte-at-Night, you can take it for $449 down and 29-monthly payments of $99.
Byte separates itself from other brands through the introduction of innovative technology. The “HyperByte” device included with your treatment helps to accelerate your treatment time. You also get free teeth whitening included with your purchase.
Alignerco
If you’re looking for the most affordable teeth aligners, Alignerco is your best option. They offer you your treatment for $1,145, and they sometimes hold sales where you can save up to $200 on your treatment. However, Alignerco doesn’t offer you any aftercare.
You get a printout of your treatment plan, and it’s up to you to manage the process. If you’re comfortable with doing everything yourself, then Alignerco is a great option that saves you hundreds of dollars over the other systems mentioned in this review.
What are the Pros and Cons of At-Home Teeth Straightening
Pros
- Affordable, effective at-home teeth straightening.
- Aftercare is great with systems like Candid.
- Most brands offer in-house financing with no credit check.
- No need to visit an orthodontist.
- Innovative technologies like the HyperByte fast-track treatment times.
- Most brands offer free teeth whitening included.
- Works with insurance and HSA/FSA accounts.
Cons
- No fitment in your orthodontist’s chair.
- Some brands have limited aftercare and treatment guidelines.
- Free teeth scanning not available with all brands.
Do At-Home Teeth Straightening Kits Work? What Do the Reviews Say?
Yes, at-home teeth straightening systems work as well as traditional orthodontics like Invisalign and braces. Visit the home page of any of these sites, and you’ll find a page dedicated to customer reviews. Most of them come with high Google Review ratings above 4.8-stars and verified users touting the product.
Do At-Home Teeth Straightening Kits Work?: The Verdict
After reviewing the leading at-home aligner brands, we have to say that we’re impressed with the results. You get all the benefits of orthodontics like braces and Invisalign at a fraction of the cost. However, each brand offers you something unique when selecting your preferred aligner system.
Candid – The best at-home choice for aligners offering you real orthodontic aftercare.
Byte – Innovative technology with the HyperByte device fast-tracking treatment times.
Smile Direct Club – Affordable, with the strongest track record in the industry.
Alignerco – No aftercare, but the cheapest aligners.
Choose the provider that meets your needs. Whichever system you go for, you can count on the results. All of these aligner companies have plenty of reviews and testimonials from satisfied customers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will insurance make a contribution to my at-home teeth straightening?
Yes, most insurers cover at-home teeth straightening kits. Call your insurance and ask if you have cover for the code D8090. If you do have cover, you could save up to 75% of your treatment cost. Most at-home aligner companies also accept HSA/FSA accounts, and you also have options for in-house financing of your aligners without a credit check.
Do I need to visit the orthodontist for teeth straightening?
No, a trip to the orthodontist isn’t always necessary to straighten your teeth. The clear aligner system offers you all the same benefits as traditional orthodontics like braces and Invisalign. However, with at-home aligners, you don’t ever take a trip to the dentist’s office. Your work through an app or web account to contact your dental professional. They’ll monitor your progress and tell you when to change your aligner.
Do at-home teeth straightening systems work?
Yes, at-home teeth straightening is every bit as effective as traditional orthodontic solutions like braces and Invisalign. At-home aligner systems use the same aligner materials as Invisalign, producing results in the same treatment time. If you log onto the websites of leading at-home aligner brands like Byte and Smile Direct Club, you’ll see thousands of real testimonials from verified users – you be the judge.